Tumor Gone

I had an MRI, mammogram and ultrasound this week. The tests show that the tumor is gone. There is calcification and/or possibly DCIS (pre-cancer) where the tumor used to be. 

My oncologist thinks I should have surgery. There could be cancer cells remaining that the tests are not sensitive enough to catch. We didn't even discuss radiation, which like surgery, I'm hoping to avoid.

I see my breast surgeon again on Monday. She will probably recommend at least a lumpectomy followed by radiation. Both the surgery and radiation are supposed to get rid of the microscopic cancer cells, but it's not 100% guaranteed.

This afternoon I called UCSF to get a second opinion from a breast surgeon who is studying whether women are being overtreated. It will take them a couple of days to review my case, then they'll call me to set an appointment. 

When I went for my MRI on Tuesday, I thought they'd be able to use my port for the contrast dye, but they could not because I had to lie face down during the test. The nurse inserted a needle in my left arm but could not get past the valve in my vein. She tried my right arm. Same problem. Third time's the charm. She switched to a smaller butterfly needle and successfully started the IV using my hand. I thought it would really hurt but was no worse than using my arm.

Because I thought they would use my port, I applied EMLA cream to numb it up and covered it with a bandage called Tegaderm. When I removed the Tegaderm later, some of my skin came off with it. Ouch. It really stung for a couple of days. I had never had a problem with Tegaderm before. Maybe my skin came off because it has gotten so thin and dry, and I used Tegaderm two days in a row.  I'll have to remember to let the nurses know next time I go for an infusion. They also use Tegaderm on my port during my infusion, and there is another type of bandage they can use for those who are sensitive to Tegaderm.